You could say that we not only received the world we live in from the hand of God, we also inherited it from our parents and grandparents. They spent their lives growing crops in the fields, catching fish from the sea, and hunting animals in the forest. But they didn't destroy the world that fed them. They respected the source of their livelihood, knowing that that same world would also feed their children and their children's children.

We, too, will leave God's world as an inheritance to those who follow after us. The same fields that produce rice and vegetables for us will fill their tables. The sea will offer them the same delicious seafood that we enjoy. The air we breathe will be theirs, as well as the rivers and lakes. All the good and wonderful gifts that God has given us will be passed on to them when our lives on this earth are finished.

Will they inherit a world that is full of God's beautiful handiwork? Will they know what it's like to feel the cool air of the forest, to see crops thriving in rich soil and to see an abundance of fish at the market every day? Or will they live in a world that is ugly and barren, used up?

There are many signs around us today that indicate we have forgotten our God-given responsibility to be caretakers of the earth. Rivers run thick with mud, carrying our precious land to the sea. Garbage fills many of our rivers and seashores, killing the fish and polluting the water. Forests are disappearing so fast that our children will have only pictures to remember them by.

That's why, as part of our New Life in Christ, we turn again and again to God's Word. We need to be reminded of the greatness of our God, the majesty of His creation, the beauty of all that He has made. We need to hear again and again the story of His love for us in His Son. We need to be encouraged in our own lives of Christian love and concern.a concern that reaches out to the whole of God's beautiful world. As we love that world, treat it with respect, tend to all of its fascinating creatures, we carry out the precious responsibility that God has given us. We truly qualify as caretakers for God's world.

That brings us to the end of lesson five of our course, "Our New Life in Christ." We enjoyed having you explore God's Word with us, and we thank you for faithfully completing the lessons.

If you have any ideas, comments or suggestions that would help us improve our ministry, we would certainly invite you to share them with us.

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